Northgate Unified School District Initiative

Aug 29, 2016 12:31PM
● Published by Jennifer Neys

For two years,
Northgate CAPS (Community Advocacy for our Public Schools) has been working
toward splitting from MDUSD. Currently, Mt. Diablo is one of the largest school
districts in the state of California, with over 56 school sites and programs.
The advocacy group wants local control of education at the community level,
believing that a smaller school district would be more responsive to the needs
of the students and educators. The new district would include the 5 public
schools in east Walnut Creek: Northgate High Foothill Middle, Bancroft
Elementary, Valle Verde Elementary, and Walnut Acres Elementary schools.

They are currently seeking
endorsements from the community, businesses, and civic leaders. Although
Northgate CAPS has tried unsuccessfully to break from MDUSD in the past and
join with the Walnut Creek and Acalanes School Districts, this effort is
different. According to their website, www.northgatecaps.org, “In this proposal we are creating a new
district independent from any other existing district.” In addition, they have
completed a draft report confirming that the proposal meets the nine criteria
required by the California Department of Education guidelines for District
Organization.

Last July, they began a campaign
to collect endorsements in support of a new Northgate Unified School District, and
an informational meeting was held at the Ygnacio Valley Library on
August 17. A Northgate CAPS spokesperson said, “The focus was to collect
signatures from the households that are directly within the proposed attendance
area for the new district which encompasses all the areas where students
currently attend a Northgate feeder pattern school. As such, all of the
families currently attending Bancroft would be included and they would no
longer be split. It also includes the Lime Ridge and Crystal Ranch areas if
their students currently are in the attendance area for Northgate feeder
pattern schools. The target start date for petition gathering for community
support is September 10.” The petition is the next step in the process
to establish a new district.